I felt misled by the decent score on Cellar Tracker (at least for this vintage), as well as being only one of 3-4 "recommended" Trader Joe's red wines by one blogger. It had a significant sour midpalate and finish that spoiled any balance or enjoyment. After confirming with my wife we returned it given the prior encouragement that at Trader Joes a flawed wine need not be corked to be gladly accepted back. If not returning it we really would have poured out the second half untouched. This was not the normal and enjoyable sweet-sour cherry flavor common in many Italian wines, but a genuine moderate to severe flaw in winemaking. Any decent Ripasso or straight Valpolicella would easily have this beat. At $17 it doesn't need to knock your socks off, but it shouldn't have any obvious flaws either.
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Excellent and a great value! Fruit was still lively after 15 years. Classic mature tempranillo profile, except lighter on tobacco than many favorites. No more detailed notes as this was at 40th Birthday Party. It really needed decanting for 1-2 hours to reach full volume and to reveal spicy complexity.
2011 Conte di Bregonzo Amarone della Valpolicella
4/9/2015 - stephenhill8@msn.com Does not like this wine: 79 Points
I felt misled by the decent score on Cellar Tracker (at least for this vintage), as well as being only one of 3-4 "recommended" Trader Joe's red wines by one blogger. It had a significant sour midpalate and finish that spoiled any balance or enjoyment. After confirming with my wife we returned it given the prior encouragement that at Trader Joes a flawed wine need not be corked to be gladly accepted back. If not returning it we really would have poured out the second half untouched. This was not the normal and enjoyable sweet-sour cherry flavor common in many Italian wines, but a genuine moderate to severe flaw in winemaking. Any decent Ripasso or straight Valpolicella would easily have this beat. At $17 it doesn't need to knock your socks off, but it shouldn't have any obvious flaws either.
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1996 Bodegas Las Orcas Rioja Solar de Randez Reserva
4/28/2012 - stephenhill8@msn.com Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent and a great value! Fruit was still lively after 15 years. Classic mature tempranillo profile, except lighter on tobacco than many favorites. No more detailed notes as this was at 40th Birthday Party. It really needed decanting for 1-2 hours to reach full volume and to reveal spicy complexity.
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